Tkk nattorat



l2 Sheets--Sheet 1.

,ma Model.)

J. H. BLBSSING. APPARATUS PQR REGOVEBING LUBRIGANTS PROM EXHAUST STEAM.

Patented Feb. 13, 1894.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. H. BLESSING. APPARATUS Een RBGOVERING LUBRIGANTS TRUM EXHAUST STEAM.

Patented Feb. 13, 1894.1.

BTT/514,438.

Milz?.

mi unvomu. urnoowf mum.

wgs

munten n, l:v

UNITED y STATES PATENT EricE.

JAMES H. BLESSING, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK-` APPARATUS FOR RECOVERING LUBRlCANT FROM EXHAUST-STEAM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 514,438, dated February 13, 1894.

Application led May 23, 1893. Serial No.475,224. (No model.) V

To afZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES H. BLEssINe, of the city and county of Albany, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Recovering Lubricant from the EXhaustSteam of Steamilngines, of which the following is a specilicaion.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for recovering oil or other lubricant from the exhaust steam ot' steam engines; and

\ the object of my invention is to provide a simple and edective apparatus for separating the lubricant from the water produced bythe condensation of the steam. This object I attain by the means. illustrated in the accompanying drawings which are herein referred to and form. part of this specification.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a detached side elevation of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the exhaust-side of the saine, the Waste-water valve being detached therefrom. Fig. Sis a longitudinal section of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of Fig. l at the line X X. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of Fig. l at the line Y Y and Fig. 6 is a horizontal section-similar to Fig. Lt-showing a modification in the forni of the pendent retarding troughs.

As represented in the drawings, A designates the casing of my apparatus, which is preferably made cylindrical in form and has a closed bottom. An inlet nozzle, B, and an outlet nozzle, C, are arranged at diametricall y opposite sides of said casing. The nozzle B connects with the exhaust opening of a steam engine, for the purpose of conducting the eX- haust steam from the engine into the apparatus. The outlet nozzle C conveys the exhaust steam from the apparatus and is oonnected with an escape pipe, not shown, by which the exhaust steam can be conducted into the atmosphere or into a feed-water heater in the usual manner.

D designates a removable bonnet which covers the open top of the casing A. Attached to said bonnet there is a series of pendentretarding-troughs, E, which may have a crosssectional form of a segment of a tube-as shown in Figs. et and 5-or they may have the form of an angular gutter; said troughs are arranged in series and spaced apart to leave an open space between the edges of adjacent troughs of the same row, the succeeding row of said troughs being arranged to bring the hollow side of a trough opposite to the open space of the row in front of it, so that the eX- haust steam passing through either of said open spaces will impinge against the troughs which are opposite said open spaces; the concave side of each pendenttrough will receive the impact of the escaping exhaust steam and lubricant, and the latterheld in suspension by said steam-having greater affinity for the metal of the troughs than for the water, will temporarily attach itself to the troughs and then trickle down to float upon the surface of the water which always remains at the bottom of the chamber iu the casing A; said water being produced by the condensation of the steam.

G designates a steam-passage leading from the upper portion of the chamber in the casing A into the lower part of the same; said steam-passage eiects an equalization of the pressure acting upon the surface of the liquids in the lower part of the apparatus, which equalization prevents a discharge of said liquids below the lower side ot the bore of the pipe H which connects said passage with a waste-water valve, I, so as to avoid any direct connection of said valve with the interior of the casing A; said waste-water valve remains open during the time the lubricant is being collected in the apparatus, and it is only closed when the lubricant is being drawn from it.

An outlet oil-pipe, J, leads from cine side of the casing A, and is preferably arranged to bring the lower side of the bore ot said pipe atrifie below the bore of the pipe H. The outer end of the pipe J is provided with a gage, K, having transparent sides to alord visible evidence of the height ot the accumulated oil and water in the apparatus. The gage K is provided with a cock, L, for the purpose ot drawing the oil from the apparatus, during which operation the waste-water valve l must remain closed for the purpose of allowing the water ot condensation to accumulate in the chamber of the casing A and thereby raise the oil, which floats upon the surface of the water, to a height where it can IOO readily pass through the pipe .I and escape through the 'coclnL into areceptacle provided for that purpose.

It should be understood that the water remaining in the lower part of the passage G forms a seal that will prevent any oil from entering said passage to escape through the valve I; said water-seal effects a perfect isolation of said passage yfrom the chamber of the casing, in respect to the low of oil into said passage. l

My apparatus operates in the following manner: The casing .A being secured in the line of exhausupipe of a steam engineso that the nozzle B will be toward said engine, the exhaust steam--containing the lubricant- Y will pass into the apparatus in the direction indicated by the arrow on the nozzle B-and will impinge against the concave side of the first row of the pendent troughs E, the contact of Vthe steam and lubricant with said troughs will effect a separation of the lubricant from the steam, the lubricant being retained on the concave side of theV pendent trcughs-by reason of its affinity for the metal of the troughs-and the steam will pass out of said troughs and thence between the open spaces between the latter to encounter the troughs opposite said open spaces, to effect a further separation of the lubricant from the steam, and this operation will continue until all the lubricant is separated from the steam, after which. the latter will escape from the apparatus through the nozzle C. The lubricant caught by the troughs E will trickle down to the surface of the water in the lower part of the apparatusy and should be there retained until itV has acquired a proper height in the gage K. When this point has been attained, the Wastewater valve I should be closed-to prevent a further discharge of the water from the apparatus-and the cock L opened-to allow the lubricant to pass out of the apparatus. The continued condensation of the steam in the chamber of the casin g A will produce sufficient water to continuously float the lubricant on its surface until all the lubricant has been discharged through the cock L, which fact will be made manifest by a profuse discharge of steam from said cock. After which the cock L should be closed and the valve I opened in order to restore the apparatus to a condition for a repetition of the operation just described.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A separator for eliminating lubricant from exhaust steam, consisting of a casing containing a chamber provided with means Vand forms a communication with said equalizing passagealone whereby a water-seal can be formed at the lower end of said passage to prevent the lubricant from entering the latter, substantially as specified.

2. In a separator, thecombination of acasing containing a chamberthat formsa receiver for the lubricant and Water of condensation from the steam,ra seriesof pendent troughs contained in said chamber and arranged in lines at right angles to the line of the inlet and outlet openings of said casing; said troughs being arranged with their concave side toward the inlet opening and being spaced apart to leave-betweenthe edges of adjacent troughs of the same row-.a clear space that will come opposite to a trough of the succeeding row, an Vequalizing passage leading from the upper part to the bottom of said chamber, a waste-waterpipe communieating only with said passage, and a lubricant-cock for drawing the lubricant from *said chamber, as and for the purpose herein specified.

3. In a separator, ythe combination .of a casing containing Va chamber that forms a receiver for the separated Vlubricant and water of condensation from the steam, and aseries of pendent troughs attached to the removable bonnet of-but detached from and spaced from the bottom of--said casing; said troughs being spaced apart to leave a clear space between the edges of adjacent troughs of the same row, each of said spaces being opposite the concave side of a trough in the next succeeding row; whereby the exhaust steam will be compelled to pass in a zigzag direction through said chamber and an unobstructed water-passage will be formed between the lower end of the pendent troughs and the bottom of the chamber, substantially as specified.

JAMES I-I. BLESSING. Witnesses:

J. W. WHEELooK, WM. H. Low. 

